Ship of Death
by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
His name was Remo and he was supposed to enter the room after the lights were turned out.

Floating Coffin?

When the United Nations finally decides to leave New York, a Greek shipping magnate, one of the world's wealthiest men, makes them an offer they can't refuse: their new headquarters will be the largest ship in the world, a floating pleasure palace where the diplomats of the world can work--and play--far away from the prying eyes of the world and the free press.

Even before the ship goes to sea, however, something goes wrong...corpses are being discovered on it. America is worried for the safety of the UN, and Remo and Chiun are ordered to go on the ship's maiden voyage and make sure no more lives are lost.

But Remo and Chiun have had enough assignments for two lifetimes and decide to seek employment elsewhere. That leaves it up to Dr. Harold W. Smith, head of the supersecret agency, CURE, to find out who is trying to doom the ship's maiden voyage and why.

Smith stumbles on to a plot so bizarre and Byzantine that he can hardly believe it. Bombs start exploding, and suddenly Remo and Chiun are on the scene, trying to save the international organization from a watery grave.

Review: You may have guessed by now that I really like this early run of books in the series. This novel is a perfect example of why. The plot is fresh and interesting, imagine a group luring the UN onto a massive luxury liner just to destroy the organization and promote World War III. Remo and Chiun are in rare form, in this novel they quit CURE and seek new employment (something which would be repeated in novels to follow from time to time). There's plenty of action, thrills, and spills.

Ship of Death gets a "full speed ahead" from me .